Vintage by Susan Gloss – Bookies Book Club Style

Vintage was reviewed and discussed by the Bookies book club in May 2015. Here are ideas for your own book club as well as questions (provided mostly by Harper Collins with a few of our own tossed in)

EXTRAS you can do: Extras can really add to your book experience. A couple of fun ideas we came up with was 1) to dress vintage. Putting it out there to your book club or reading group to dress in vintage wear can be fun. Vintage does not have to be extreme – it can be something in your closet that was once a big thing (like leg warmers or an 80’s style skirt or shirt). A couple of the girls in our group wore dresses that belonged to their mothers… one even wore her wedding dress!

2) another cool think to do is to encourage your group to bring something along that could be a vintage item in a shop. A girl in our group brought wedding rings that belonged to a relative and typed up the story. She also brought an old telegram.

Food: There is not a lot of food mentioned in the book however there is pizza. We brought pizza cut into squares for the girls to share.

Discussion Questions:

What draws you to a book like Vintage?
1. Would Violet have become friends with April and Amithi under different circumstances?

2. What do the three women have in common besides Hourglass Vintage?
2. Why do you think Violet is so fascinated by vintage items?
3. How did Violet’s relationship with her Grandma Lou shape her life? What about Violet’s relationship with Jed, her ex?
4. April fears becoming like her mother, Kat. From what we know of Kat, how is April like her and unlike her? Do you think April’s fear is warranted?
5. How do the vintage inventory items at the beginning of the chapters work into the story? Are there particular items that stand out to you more than others? Why?
6. How does each of the three main characters come to terms with the negative aspects of her past? How do these women’s past experiences help them to understand each other?
7. Betsy keeps her illness a secret from Violet. Why does she hide this information?
8. How did Amithi react to Naveen’s affair? Would you have reacted in a similar or different manner if you were in her shoes?
9. Amithi’s daughter, Jayana, says that when she was a child, her mother’s sewing seemed “so antifeminist, so retro.” How do Amithi and the other main characters embody or resist traditional feminine roles?
10. April gets back together with Charlie despite the fact that he allowed his mother to cancel their wedding without talking to April about it. Do you think she forgives him too easily? Do you think their relationship will persevere?
11. How is Jed’s vandalism of Violet’s shop symbolic of the other damage he has done to her life?
12. Violet breaks up with Sam because Sam doesn’t want to have children. How do you think the decision about whether to have children impacts relationships?
13. What is the significance of Violet’s phoenix and starfish tattoos?
14. At the end of the novel, Violet has married Sam, April has moved in with Charlie and had her baby, and Amithi is off to India with her daughter. Where do you see each of the characters in five years?
15. If you were to own a shop what would you like it to be?

Also – please note that author Susan Gloss would possibly be interested in Skyping with your group. Contact her using the email: bookclubs@susangloss.com